The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
A drilling derrick, mast, or other lifting or handling system often has a cable or wireline used to raise and lower a traveling block and drill hook. A fast line portion of the cable or wireline may extend from a drawworks to a crown block. A deadline may extend from the crown block to a spooler, storage reel, or reserve line drum. A deadline anchor is often used between the spooler and crown block to clamp or hold the deadline in a static position, such that the drawworks may be used to raise and lower the traveling block and drill hook. Stress on the cable from use may create a need to “slip and cut” a portion of the cable, which may require loosening of the deadline anchor. That is, occasionally or at intervals, a portion of the cable may be released from the spooler such that a portion of the cable arranged between the drawworks and spooler may be shifted onto or toward the drawworks and excess line on the drawworks may be cut away.
Deadline anchors typically use a plurality of bolts to exert a clamping force on the deadline. For example, 6, 8, 14, or any other suitable number of bolts may be configured to hold a bolt plate against the deadline or pinch the deadline. The bolts are typically tightened and loosened manually or at least partially manually. Moreover, in order to maintain equal application of force on the bolt plate, the plurality of bolts are typically tightened and loosened in a particular order or pattern and with a particular torque. Due to slip and cut operations and other operations, the deadline anchor may need to be frequently loosened and retightened. The process of loosening and retightening a plurality of bolts can be time consuming, particularly where a bolt pattern, order, and/or torque is maintained when tightening and loosening.